In Another Life
by BloodInkLilacQuill
Summary: The Order lure Chloe to what could be her doom... Alek gets there just in time to hold her dying hand. Will Chloe be able to recover after this? Read & Find out ChloexAlek Begins in Valentina's POV only as Summary though
1. Summary

**Ok, so I read 'the Nine Lives of Chloe King,' the series, it sucked, I cannot describe to you how much the t.v. series made this flat story riddled-with-things-that-didn't-make-sense into the wonderful story that it has been so far.** **The girl had a wonderful idea though, the author, she just didn't complete the story in a fit and professional way. Thats all Ill say, no spoilers, speaking of the first book of the first episode and the rest, is completely ignored, so no worries on ruining any surprises when reading the sucky books.**

**So anyway I needed to get back into the world of the t.v. show and so after watching the show's every episode three times over, came up with this idea. This is not going to be a very long story Im thinking, but then again, I dunno...**

**Also, it will not always be in Valentina's POV, mostly it will be in Aleks, but each chapter concentrates on a different character's relationship with Chloe, not saying the whole chapter will be that person's POV, just telling you what to look out for.  
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**oh also, please forgive the first upload! It was the half done chapter not the 'good copy' I don't know I guess I forgot to save it in 'Doc Manager' before uploading or something silly me...  
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**Please Read and Enjoy! R&E  
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><p><span>Summary<span>

Chloe sat chatting with her friends, Amy and Paul it was the first day off from being guarded, from work, from everything that she had had in a while. She sat back and enjoyed herself, laughed at Amy's absurd joke and relaxed. The pizza as well, was delicious for once, everything was great, she didn't even had a curfew because she was going to sleep over at Amy's.

And then her phone rang with a text.

Chloe tried to ignore it but they could all tell that it was a physical strain.

"Just answer it, it's fine." Amy said, ever the understanding best friend.

Chloe gave a smile to them both and picked the phone up to read the text.

**Chloe meet me in the warehouse we took down the assassin in twenty minutes, please do not bring your human friends, Alek and Jasmine are already here but Ill send Alek to get you.  
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**~Valentina**

She frowned and showed the message to Amy, who shrugged.

"Probably some boring Mai stuff anyway," Amy said with a loud slurp from her straw.

Chloe texted back,

**No Im coming on my own, no need for further hassle**

She collected her stuff and allowed Amy to drive her to the warehouse, Paul stayed behind to pay and finish his own meal. When they arrived, Amy looked around, she really wanted to return to Paul, no one was around though. Chloe on the other hand got out of the car and slammed the door.

"Don't worry it's Valentina, I'll be fine," Chloe leaned into the window to speak but then she turned away and went into the warehouse without another look back.

Earlier

Valentina woke tied to a chair, she didn't remember at that moment how she had gotten into the position, was she hunting someone? She decided she would figure that out later, the important thing was to remain calm, which was accomplished easily for her, and the second important thing was to escape.

For this she took in her surroundings, she recognized the area as the warehouse where she had killed the assassin. There was a man she did not recognize walking around, he did not seem to realize that she was awake yet. She used this to her advantage and tried to get out of the chains, only to find she could not reach them, even with her claws.

"Stop that." The man demanded, not quite angrily but more exasperated. She looked up at him but he was not even looking at her, he seemed too busy with a bunch of wires. More people came in, all working on something, setting up cameras everywhere, it seemed their ultimate goal to catch every angle of the warehouse.

Valentina strained her memory, she had gotten up that morning, showered, dressed... it had been afternoon and she had sat at a bus stop listening in to a conversation between two orderlies. But she never did that alone, who had she had guarding her... where was he now? She snorted quite unlike herself, he was dead, obviously. She didn't remember being attacked but that was the last memory she had. Her guard must have gotten careless and noticeable. Typically when she had a look out, the other person would be shopping in a nearby store while discretely watching and typically she had two or three look outs should anything go wrong.

There was a loud bang as the door opened and closed causing them all to look to the newcomer. Valentina was shocked, but only for a moment, after all it wasn't like she hadn't suspected it before.

The head of the order, the king or so he called himself, she snarled but he just tisked.

"Now now be nice," he said coming into the light, "although I don't know what I was expecting really." He walked behind her, beginning to circle her slowly as he spoke. "We haven't seen each other in, how long has it been?"

"Ten years." Valentina answered.

"Since you murdered my wife." He said, although his voice did not raise even the slightest the anger was as clear as a scream.

He was in front of her again this time holding her phone in his hand. "Tell me, does this sound like something you'd say?" he asked. She read the message and her heart skipped a beat. "Judging by your expression it fits perfectly," he said. He quickly gagged her to ensure she could not warn the younger Mia before seeming to dismiss her presence all together. Which was for the better in her opinion, no true leader ever went anywhere with only one phone, that'd be ridiculous! She texted the rest of the pride to stop Chloe who was entering a trap and even gave them her location. She just hoped they were fast enough.

Ten minutes later there was a sound of a car pulling up and then driving off after a moment's silence. All went quiet, she could hear the car driving off all the way to the next street. The creaky door opened and with a jolt the pride leader was fighting with all her might to get free.

"Hello? Valentina?" Chloe called. "Alek, Jasmine?" she called.

At last Valentina managed to get her mouth free. "It's a trap!" Just then Chloe came into the light, as did several Mai through various windows. Chloe looked around and to Valentina's surprise still went to free her, "run!"

Chloe turned around hesitantly, "run, get out of here!" Valentina yelled at her.

Jasmine grabbed her and Chloe ran back the way she had come, grabbed the door and swung it open, Jasmine behind. There was an explosion the likes of which deafened everyone's ears. Both girls were sent flying backwards crashing into computer equipment that had been placed directly in the path.

In an instant Valentina knew something was wrong, knew something horrible had happened, that her life would never be the same again. Someone cut her free, she turned and saw it was the very man that had done all of this, but rather than kill him she ran to the girls. There was fire all around, the orderly members that could quickly deserted the room as planned. Both girls were unconscious. Chloe was on top, probably crushing Jasmine, the brunt of the explosion had been to Chloe, the scene was not pretty but then, not as bad as it could have been. She was bleeding from her abdomen though. Alek was there before Valentina could come out of the shock of the sight, he picked her up, she heard herself say something about 'carefully.'

Beneath Chloe Jasmine lay, her temple had a nasty burn, or at least Valentina thought it was nasty, in truth she had never seen a burn worse then a light scalding so she had no idea, she had seen various other wounds but never burns.

She picked her daughtor up and left the same way Alek had taken Chloe out. The door was gone, the wall to the door was gone and so they walked out where the wall had once been, got into the cars that waited there and drove off. It was half way home that the shock ended and she could think straight. By then her daughter, placed in the back seat, was awake and helping Alek with Chloe, who was also awake, or at least Semi. She didn't know how she had managed to drive as far as she had, she didn't remember a single bit of the drive, had she run any red lights? She had no idea.

"Hold on Chloe, this isn't another life your going to be alright!" Alek kept saying, she could read his lips in her rear view mirror. Her daughter was strangely quiet, almost dazed still, eyes looking at Chloe as though mentally willing Chloe to live.

Meanwhile all Valentina could think of was how she had failed Chloe, she shouldn't have had her number in her phone, and under 'Chloe King' too. The number should have been memorized and that's all.

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><p><strong>Next chapter will be up tomorrow at the latest about 6 pm,<strong> **but I will be out of town so it may be the day after tomorrow**.


	2. Chapter 1

**Just to be clear, this was not 'Evil Valentina' Day, I just know leading women, women in some power, (or so they think) and I know what they usually do when put into certain situations, and I based Valentina's reactions according to things I've seen, perhaps to the extreme who knows... Please Read and Enjoy, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it!**

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

Alek held Chloe's hand, she had barely awoken the entire ride to his home. He carried her to their private elevator before Valentina could even park the car. There were four others but he refused to allow them to take her, he had to get her inside, he barely waited for someone to go and pick help Jasmine get to the elevator as well. They went up, Valentina joining them just as the door closed.

When they got into the house Valentina began to order people and people began to scurry to complete those orders. All this went unnoticed by Alek however who gently placed Chloe onto the couch, the brand new white couch. He distantly heard some people suggest that he should put her down in the tub, it'd be cleaner even for the Uniter, but he ignored them, he couldn't help it, if he could have he'd have jumped to his feet and knocked the guy out but he could not take his eyes off Chloe, her pale face.

He kept willing her to wake up and then, as though she could feel his willing her to, she awoke and looked directly at him. She tried to speak but she had bitten her tongue in the explosion and so speech was impossible. She spat blood out from the wound, without the will to roll over, but he took care of it, putting a napkin to her face.

She kept mouthing something, he leaned in close, despite his hearing abilities he could not hear her.  
>"Oh, no I don't think you've lost a life yet," he answered so softly he could not hear himself, still he could not help wincing at the 'yet' that had slipped out, truly he could not see her recovering from this without losing a life, possibly worse. A hand touched his shoulder and he looked up to see Jasmine, he helped her sit beside him before turning back to Chloe.<p>

"How is she?" Jasmine asked with her eyes. He realized as they had been talking a group of Mai healers had deftly been working on her, had taken her shirt off, or semi off, they had cut the shirt to above the wound and were peeling off the cloth that had been on the wound.

He swallowed nervously and suddenly his ears popped and hearing came back, the room was actually very loud at the moment and there were many discussions going on. Valentina was by Chloe's other side, talking to her softly. He doubted Chloe could hear her, Chloe's eyes were on Alek, as though hoping his eyes would give something away.

"Your going to be ok," he said, though he didn't know what had possessed him to say that when it was obvious she wasn't going to be fine.

The Mai healers on the other hand shook their heads and tisked, "another life gone to waste..." One of them said, to his horror his eyes started to tear up, he turned away hurriedly and tried to stand up but a hand stopped him and pulled him back down to beside her.

"Don't leave me... Please," she asked holding onto his upper arm where she had grabbed her claws subconsciously digging deep into his flesh, he doubted she had any idea, nor did he particularly care, they would heal, as she would, he kept telling himself that. H=Valentina got up, others left and some came in, he stayed by her side.

"We're going to give her something for the pain..." said one of the healers seeming a million miles away. Chloe looked into his eyes and he looked into hers, neither looked away from each other except in the waves of pain where Chloe would close her eyes.

Time passed, and she got worse, when he left the daze that she had pulled him into he looked around, she was still bleeding pretty bad and at this point Valentina was talking to Dimitri, the best of the Mai hunters and guards.

He was nearly forty years old and only ever trusted with the most delicate of the prides issues. Confused Alek tried to listen into their discussion, but his hearing hadn't mended that well yet and so he could not hear them from the short distance. He looked to his right and was shocked to see Jasmin fast asleep, her head on Chloe's feet he frowned further but Chloe stopped him from moving her.

Chloe's face held concern but also fear, she gripped his arm weakly and attempted a smile. He couldn't help but give a smile back, she was just that kind of person when she smiled she brought you into it despite anything going on around her.

"Chloe? Can you hear me?" Valentina asked, touching Chloe's shoulder, Chloe faced her with a blink and nod. "This is going to cost you a life, no matter how we do this, but we can ease the pain of this death, do you understand?"

Chloe looked at Valentina for a long moment and then shook her head, it was unclear is she was answering the question or simply saying she could not hear her.

"Can you hear her Chloe?" Asked Alek, she didn't move when he spoke and so he touched her shoulder, only then did she turn to him. "She can't hear yet," he said simply.

Dimitri stood above her head, pulled out a dagger and attempted to cut her but she caught his arm, distressed she looked around her as she faught with all the might she had left, it wasn't much, it didn't even move her off the couch. Alek grabbed her hands as Dimitri backed off. He did not restrain them but he held them at her sides her eyes looked into his. After a moment, she visibly relaxed and Dimitri took the opening a little too easily, too quickly for Aleks thoughts. She died looking into his eyes, she died almost instantly.

He looked away from her dead eyes, he could not look into them, it hurt too much, her insides, which he noticed for the first time, could be seen from the gash, like some gory horror movie, began to movie around, mend on their own, they regrew where they had been burnt out, bone regrew, the skin began to regrow but then it all stopped before fully mending. Time passed, he could not stop himself from crying, he'd kill anyone who said he was crying like a baby later but no one did. Jasmine patted his back, he hadn't noticed when she had awoken, it was probably when Chloe had caught the knife and thrashed around so powerfully, yet so weakly.

They waited even longer, minutes passed and still there was no movement.  
>"I think it's clear she is not coming back." Valentina said coldly, if she had felt any remorse for her injured daughter it was gone now, Jasmine, Alek and that girl had made a fool of her. Their prank had been too far gone, saying she was the Uniter, and she had taken their word for it!<p>

"She wasn't the Uniter?" Asked a Mai from the back. They all crowded around, waiting for her to wake up, which never happened.

"No, she is not the Uniter." Valentina confirmed.  
>"What are we going to do about her mother?" Asked Jasmine still not comprehending the situation.<br>"We will do nothing," Valentina said coldly.

"Her mom doesn't know any of this is going on, she deserves to know her daughter will never be coming home." Alek said from Chloe's side. Valentina went through a change then, changing from mother to pride leader in an instant.

"This prank went too far perhaps you should consider that? That she would still be alive if you hadn't thought it'd be funny to say she was the Uniter." Valentina said, she gestured and everyone else went to the kitchen where they had set up a board on the island.

"Ok. We will have to arrange a counter attack..." She said ignoring both of them and addressing everyone else. Alek on the other hand didn't care what she believed, he knew, she had to be the Uniter, why wasn't she coming back yet?

"She is the Uniter..." He whispered, he knew they had all heard him, or at least most of them had, but he was ignored. Jasmine held his hand.

"We will stay by her side until she wakes up, regardless of what they believe."

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><p><strong>Will she come back? Yep I left it on a cliffy, I feel sort of guilty about it, but then again I have this delicious blizzard.. so I can't, -physically cannot- feel all that bad...<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**So is she dead? Well, read and find out!  
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**R&E, Read and Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

Chloe travelled along a desert, in search of something but she could not remember what. She was tired, so tired it terrified her but still she kept going.

She sensed something coming, and then her eyes picked it up. A pride of female lions came down the dune in front of her. She didn't run, something told her to stand her ground, but even if she did decide to run she wouldn't have been able to, the sand was so deep, so heavy to trod through, she would not have made it far at all.

'Hail the Uniter!" The lions called, she was not surprised that they spoke, oddly she was not surprised by their knowing her. She looked at them, all five of them.

"Who is your pride leader?" She asked putting a hand up to shield her from the sun they began to circle her much like they would prey.

"No one is our leader, for the Uniter there can be no prideleader." They all answered at once.

"You are not Uniters," Chloe said, confused.

"You are not the first Uniter, we are sorry to say, you are the sixth, all were believed to be myths before your time, and possibly after your time as well." They answered, "we come baring knowledge. That now your second life is gone, you are gifted by the ageless, unlike all other Uniter's before you, you will find yourself not enough yet, until you learn your way. You cannot run with another's pack, you need to run with your own."

"I don't understand," Chloe said, confused.

"You betray your own pack when you run with another's, like a wife with another man, you are already married and must be loyal to it." They said, not quite answering her.  
>"My mother's pack, are they still alive?" She asked excitedly.<br>"No, they were butchered not so long ago when you were a babe." They replied.  
>"Then who is my pack?" Chloe asked, but they suddenly jumped up the dune and ran off without answer.<p>

She looked around, seeing nothing was changing she followed them. She reached the top of the dune where the lionesses had vanished to just in time to see the last of them dive off an impossibly high cliff.

"This is the voice of Beth, you have recieved a piece of my wisdom, use it well..." a voice on the wind called out., "I will come to you in physical form... when you declare you are ready out lowed I will show you the way." An image of Egypt came to mind.

"Follow" a voice seemed to whisper, without much choice otherwise she jumped off the cliff. She woke not with a gasp or shock, but simply with being alive. She opened her eyes, surprised that anyone had had the time to shut them. to her surprise she was alone, save for Alek and Jasmine, Alek had a hold of her hand and Jasmine had a hand on Alek's shoulder, but both were asleep, their heads resting on Chloe.

"Jasmine," she shook Jasmine lightly and then tried to sit up, that woke them both up instantly. "Look I really need to shower, do you have a spare set of clothes?" she asked politely, "I might also need help getting there." Both looked at their watches simultaneously. Jasmine nodded and brought Chloe, with Alek's help, to the washroom. Once she was in the shower, still dressed, Jasmine turned the water on and stood gaurd in case Chloe fell but otherwise Chloe had a quick shower, taking her clothes off only when the water started running to help ease the plastered clothing off easier. When she was done she felt much better, though there was a nasty star shaped scar across her stomach, it looked almost like a henna design, or like a large glob of henna had been unceremoniously dropped on her stomach, and then formed into a perfect star shape.

Jasmine gave her some clothes, telling her not to worry about it, whatever 'it' was.

Meanwhile, Alek tried to call Valentina but Valentina refused to answer. She had left at three in the morning, it was eleven now, Chloe had been dead for thirteen hours this time, without explanation, not that she needed to explain anything... no, not to him or anyone, or at least she shouldn't have had to.

He texted her, Valentina but she refused to respond, likely she hadn't even heard it. He tried calling from the house phone, Jasmine's, Chloe's, no response.

When she had been leaving she had told him she would be back in the afternoon to dispose of the body properly, somewhere burried like a Mai deserved. She had said it coldly though, it was clear their punishments were not even close to be given out. He was also told he could dispose of the body himself if he knew any last wishes she did not.

"You know this means that she really is the Uniter?" Jasmine said coming up to him from behind where he stood gaurd against the door. "We shouldn't tell Valentina," she added, to his surprise.

"Why's that?" he asked, looking at her, was she really willing to never mention this to her own mother?

"We could convince both to move, or even avoid this part of town it's not like we actually travel anywhere near her house naturally or anything. She could live a normal life, even if for a little while, we should bring it up to her at least, and when she's older, she could come out, when we've all finished school, made a plan..."

"I agree," said Chloe from behind them they turned to her in surprise.

"What took you so long to come back?" Asked Alek.

"I was talking to Bass, she said she would come to me when I was ready. She also called me married to my own pride, that I'm lying to this pride by being here, sort of." Chloe explained, blushing.

"Your already part of a pride?" Jasmine asked, both Alek and Jasmine were shocked.

"I didn't know it but apparently. I think some 'dead time' would be perfect." Chloe said. They looked at each other and suddenly, nodded, that is what they would do. If Jasmine was willing to forsake her own mother's love then Alek could not complain about receiving the cold shoulder for the rest of her 'death.'

They got to work, first they would have to get Chloe out of there without anyone seeing, which was hard the entire building was riddled with Mai. Alek went and just for spite, took Valentina's blanket and spread it on the ground.

"Hate to say this, but your going to have to be dead again." Alek said, both Jasmine and Chloe looked at him with shock but he held the blanket open, ready for her to curl into so they could drag her out like the dead body she was supposed to be.

Chloe nodded and lay on the blanket, they wrapped her and proceeded to drag her out Jasmine had one end and Alek, the other, they just hoped it looked like they were carrying laundry instead of a dead body or supposedly dead body... Two Mai saw them, both glared daggers at them but did not stop them, so they managed to get down, only to find both their cars gone whether borrowed by fellow Mai or as punishment it did not currently matter the fact was the cars were gone.

"I'll drive." They all jumped, even Chloe from inside the blanket, they hoped he didn't see the movement as they turned around to the voice. It was Dimitri, his face was blotchy swollen, as though he'd either been crying or in a fight, they decided the latter as crying, was just unimaginable to them. The guy was after all, a great and powerful war hero.

He opened the car door before they could refuse. He owned a rusty 4x4, the back had a shelter cap on, perfect for what they were doing, the driver though, not so perfect. With a final look to each other, they dragged the blanket towards' the car.

"Oh for crying out loud," He came forward and picked the bundle up and put it into the back of the truck, "it's a girl not a bundle of dirty laundry!" Wordlessly they got into the back of the pick up truck, not the compartment as they would have liked, but the seats.

Dimitri drove in silence, they sat in silence, it was a long and nerve racking two hour drive into the middle of no where. When he did finally stop it was in a clearing, a cemetery old and worn down. He got out before them but they rushed to the back first, he seemed in no hurry.

They opened the back door and were surprised to see three shovels and Chloe exactly as they had left her. Alek reached forward and grabbed the shovel so fast it was without thought, he backed out just as Dimitri came around the corner and thwacked him in the face with the shovel end which bent under the presser. Dimitri fell backwards.

"What are you doing!" Jasmine said, shocked.

"uh..." Alek hesitated to say as he saw that Dimitri wasn't unconscious, merely stunned with a badly bleeding nose. "He killed the love of my life!" Alek cried passionately, "If it weren't for him she'd have had a chance!"

"He didn't know she was on her last life, no one knew." Jasmine said, he looked at her and she shrugged. All the same, Alec turned back to Dimitri who was just getting back to his feet. In any other situation, he would never attack a man down but this was a special circumstance, he leapt forward to crack Dimitri's head against the truck he was using to get up with. In a swift movement Dimitri turned and caught him, driving him into the ground, hard.

Jasmine on the other hand smacked her head. this was not going to help unless Alek beat all odds and actually won, pretty impossible really despite Alek's great abilities even beyond the Mai, they were looking at the best of the best, he had defeated countless of the order, countless Jackles and even more enemies.

"All is good," Jasmine said patting Chloe under the blanket to keep her calm though Jasmine herself worriedly chewed on her lip, uncertain of how true her own words were.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!<strong>


	4. Chapter  3

**Despite the epic fail of the books, I did fall in love with two character's, both will be brought up very soon!**

**For those that do not know, Dimitri is the most awesome Bodyguard cat guy ever! Yup, that's about it... I made him a little better in some ways but otherwise I fell in love and brought him over ;)**

**R&E, Read and Enjoy!  
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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

Alek faught with all that he had, even on the ground with Dimitri looming over him, he continued to hit the man over the head with his fists, he didn't want to hurt the man, not that he thought he could, but he did not bring out his claws, just in case of a lucky shot. They continued to strike each other, how long Alek could not tell but it became apparent that neither of them were about to win without stepping it up, which Alek was hesitant to do.

Suddenly Dimitri went rigid and then lax, he had been over top of Alek, holding himself up as he beat the younger Mai with one fist, but his support seemed to leave and he fell forward onto Alek. He looked over the older man's shoulder and saw Jasmine with another shovel, now dented.

"What took you so long?" He asked shimmying out from under the dead weight.  
>"I cannot believe what I just saw, what on earth did you hope to accomplish?" Jasmine asked throwing the shovel down. "Help me quickly dig a hole he'll be out for a while if we're lucky, we only need to dig so far, hide her, be gone before we know it." She dug with the only shovel now left undented.<br>Alek grabbed Jasmine's arm and pulled her back almost painfully. "I think we have to come clean to him," Alek whispered to her.

"There has to be another option..." Jasmine whispered back. "We can do as I said, he'll never know."  
>Alek nodded, it was a good plan, it's just... he felt bad for the older Mai, who knew if he even felt bad for doing it? He turned to look at the man, even if he didn't feel bad, should he be pegged with her death? She was dying anyway, he had sped it up... Dimitri lay exactly as he had fallen. He turned away from him hurriedly, he knew it was foolish, the man would not be getting up in the next ten minutes, Mai or not. He pulled the blanket down and took Chloe out of it, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her out and to her feet. She was still a little unsteady on her feet, aparently being dead, and then coming back took some getting used to.<p>

He guided her out towards the nearby forestry through the cemetery. Jasmine had just finished burying the blanket and was now watching the older man for signs he was waking up. They had barely gotten half way through the cemetery when Jasmine called out.

"Dimitri, looks like your waking." She said it loudly deliberately to give them warning, Alek dropped Chloe behind the tombstone and went towards the older man.  
>"Look I'm sorry," said Alek as the man sat up against his ford, the older man eyed him. "I was just upset." He sighed, the man would think it was in remorse, and it was but for a different reason then he would ever possibly think.<p>

" I thought she'd come back, whether it was her last life, or she wasn't even the Uniter, I didn't want to do it from the beginning." He didn't seem like he was begging for anything, not even looked like he was remorseful, at least in a way Alek could recognize, so they stayed quiet and let him continue. "She was in a lot of pain, or at least, that's what I saw."

"She was," Alek wasn't one to break but he could feel he would be giving in any second now, he fortified that it was the best option, the man was loyal to Valentina.

"Would you have been loyal to Chloe, if she'd have lived?" Jasmine asked.

"She's not even the Uniter." He grumbled, "yeah, likely I'd have been loyal even after she had died and proven she wasn't the Uniter." Their eyes met, and it wasn't his and Dimitri' Jasmine looked back, she hand signaled him as Dimitri leaned down to pinch the bridge of his nose.  
>'we should tell him' her hands said.<p>

'No' his hands answered. Dimitri stood up and looked at Alek once more.  
>"We should get going," Dimitri said unknowing the conversation behind his back.<br>And then Chloe peeked her head out, and then back into hiding. Dimitri didn't see it, his back was to the tombstones. Suddenly his phone went off in a text, he opened it.

'Ask if my death will bother him,' he glared at her stone, how was he to bring this up, and still look like a man? He imagined how he'd feel if Chloe had truly died, he'd want to know that to, in fact he probably would have tried to kill him for real.

"Will her death... bother you?" Alek asked uncertainly. He asked the question just as his phone rang in another text.  
>'I don't want him feeling bad over this, I'm alive after all,' it must have been sent before he asked for her, he disregarded it, or tried to, but the threat of another text loomed.<p>

"I don't think she'd have wanted that, you to feel bad, we truly thought she was the Uniter, she died and everything." He answered.

"Of course I will, there's not a person alive that could just kill a kid and not feel bad, whether she'd have come back alive or not, I knew it would take my sleep for the rest of my life." Dimitri said.

"Yes but will you regret it?" Pushed Jasmine after reading her own text.

"Everyday." He was looking suspiciously at Alek now.

"Well we'd best be leaving, or you had best, we want to stay behind and uh, say our goodbyes." Alek said, Jasmine nodded.

"I hear you." Dimitri stood up and went into the truck but Chloe had broken her resolve, she rushed forward and grabbed the window as the car began to go, it stopped as she stuck half her body into the window.

Jasmine and Alek looked at each other.


	5. Chapter 4

**Im so glad to hear that most of you like where this story is going, this may be the last chapter, in which case there will be a sequel, or it may be the beginning of a turn, let me know what you think I should do. ;)**

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

Chloe looked at him, the man that had murdered her the night before. His steely gaze was anything but reflecting how glad he was that she was alive.

"We need to talk, come out." She stepped back, allowing his door to open.

He came out silently, they sat over her burial mound, all of them and looked at each other.

Finally he was the one to break the silence, "when." He demanded more then asked.

"About eleven this morning." Alek said.

"What took so long?" He asked, this time he sounded curt, short but more like he was asking then he was about to murder her... again.

"I was talking to Bass, she sort of told me... well basically, I need to die, -not her words,- I need to disapear for a while, -my choice,- to find my pride which is looking for me, and hopefully be a kid for a few years." Chloe said all this as she tried to remain with steady eye contact on the man, his gaze looked piercingly into her eyes, it was a hard feat and then ensuring she wasn't trying to out-stare him or something, she looked around, breaking the eye contact in what she hoped did not show weakness but also made it clear she was not in a staring contest.

"That's why we can't tell anyone she's back." Jasmine said looking at the older Mai, hoping he would understand.

"We didn't think you'd drive us, we were planning on being as discrete as possible," Alek added. Dimitri nodded silently, anything he was interested in was answered as far as he was concerned.

"So seven lives to go, just so you all know. If you feel somehow, tricked or something I'm sorry, I'm to blame, it was all my idea... I should probably return with you and tell Valentina, but I can't." She thought about how she simply assumed he would give her a lift back and added, "even if you'd agree to give me a lift, I can't go back, I have to tell my mom the truth and then go from there, my pride needs me, wherever they are."

"Your pride? They are your family, a pride is your family and close friends, friends you wouldn't let go of over a simple fight." He explained, he seemed a little too tired now to be explaining such things but she absorbed the information nonetheless.

"Bass is coming, in physical form, very soon, I have to find my pride first." Chloe said, both Alek and Jasmine had not been told this and so both gasped in surprise.

"You cannot do this without faking your death." He stated.

Chloe went to further explain, misunderstanding him, "no, because-"

He cut her off, "what would you know of why you cannot do this and be alive at the same time?" He asked looking at her, she wished he wouldn't, his gaze terrified her. She sat back silently waiting for him to tell her what he needed to tell her. "Valentina is a great Pride leader, but that's just it, the Uniter cannot be under a pride leader, no one can control her, otherwise the Uniter grows tainted." They nodded understanding.

"So you won't tell her, or anyone, I'm alive?" Chloe asked.

"Agreed, now lets head back, I need a drink after this one." He loaded them all back into the car and drove back, he even dropped Chloe off at her mothers' and the other two off at their expensive condo.

Chloe told her mom everything, about her fall, her death, she said it all. To prove she was Mai, she let out her claws and showed them, her mother looked at them with curious interest but did not interrupt her in her long tirade. It was only when she had finished talking that her mother finally spoke.

"You've been lying to me on your whereabouts at night? Chloe you know that's dangerous!" It was just like a mom, her mom to notice the one little rule she had been breaking rather then the hole savior-of-a-secret-race issue.

"That's not all mom." Chloe looked sad, she felt it right down to her insides, "I think, I might have to disapear for a while, or at least until I can cope with assassins and pride leaders and being the Uniter and these claws..."

"So you want to fake your death infinitely?" Her mother asked wisely.  
>"Just until I can find my pride." Chloe said leaning back into her mother's arms. They sat like that well into the night, neither saying anything for the longest time.<p>

"You do, what you have to do, I'll send you on a plane anywhere you need to go, I can't just go with you, not yet there are things I need to do here."

Chloe was upset her mother could not go with her but she also understood, someone had to keep a level head in society, money and a home took steady work. "I'm ready to go I think, the only thing holding me back was talking to you."

"You're bringing Amy, and two other those Mai friends of yours and there is no arguement over it, I cannot go but I know they'll keep you on the straight and narrow." Her mother said, she nodded, not fighting it. Chloe nodded as she drifted off to sleep, glad that her mother had accepted her and finally glad she had been able to tell her mother the truth.

* * *

><p><strong>Short? Im sorry but Ill post more soon, thinking of ending it here and making the next part a sequel story, not sure... Also her journey is not going to be the story, it'll be straight to when she finds her pride and summons bass. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!<br>**


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